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arts and culture
Jurisfoodence: Leslieville Pumps
DAN MOWAT-ROSE &
LUKE JOHNSTON
Staff Writers
Round 2. We’re back with another food pick
for you, Osgoode.
Venue: Leslieville Pumps - 929 Queen Street
East Cuisine: Smokehouse BBQ/Corner Store
Food: Luke: Hickory
Smoked Chicken Thigh
Sandwich $7.75 & Bacon
Infused Corn Fritters
$4; Dan: Southern Style
Beef Brisket Sandwich
$7.75 & Coleslaw $3;
Shared: Cornbread $3
(but given for free)
LLBO Licensed? No Unfortunately. But it is
a functioning gas station after all, and this
is Ontario, the nannystate, overbearing controller of booze in all
ways.
ing lot with no designated spaces, hang-over
specials on the black board (chicken and waffles with house-made bourbon maple syrup)
and friendly, sarcastic staff ready to assist.
Dan: The ‘Pumps’ has a classic auto-garage
vibe, with bags of chips,
jerky, corn nuts, and
other road snacks available for purchase. The
clientele even fits the
bill with some old man
wandering around in a
name-embroidered plaid
shirt, and a comb in his
back pocket. Strangely,
there was no evidence
to suggest that his hair
is combed with any regularity.
The Food:
Luke: I appreciate a
place that does a few
things well. With a handful of apps and a few
BBQ sandwiches, this
place definitely fits the
bill.
LESLIEVILLE PUMPS
Gas: 124.9/L of Unleaded (open 24/7 365)
The Pick:
Luke: I have decided on Leslieville Pumps for
this week’s adventure! It is a unique Southern
BBQ gas station at Queen and Carlaw.
Dan: I started us off last week with a place on
neutral territory. Everyone knows that I’m a
west end guy and you’re a Danforth homer.
How dare you drag me a million blocks east of
Yonge into the sticks.
Luke: Relax, Dan! Leslieville is like the Junction of the East. Due to the isolated, foodfocused, and quaintly dive-y conditions that
this neighbourhood prides itself on, I naturally
assumed that you’d be comfortable here.
Dan: Free cornbread
baby! Love that. Very
classy move of this place
to give out a free appetizer for the food running a bit late. I’m also
a huge coleslaw fan
and this stuff is amazing. Pickled onions and
dijon, light sauce, major
flavour, and just enough
‘health’ factor to balance
out a BBQ focused meal.
on the two sandwiches, because your hickory
chicken out-classed my brisket by a mile. Don’t
get me wrong, the brisket was good, the beef
had great flavour, but the chicken was unreal.
I also felt like the brisket was cut too thick and
I would have liked more sauce on the sandwich. When I order brisket, I want to NEED
wet naps, damn it.
Luke: I defend the brisket to some degree. The
thick cut gave it a homestyle feel and I thought
the beef was so flavourful that it didn’t need
extra sauce. For me the bun was more of a
concern. I know true south BBQ demands a
crusty bun, but I actually prefer a softer meat
holder (should I rephrase that?). The chicken
thigh sandwich was superior, though, you’re
right. I loved the sweet/heat balance in the
sauce and tender thigh meat.
Dan: Trying… so.. hard.. not to make fun of..
you.
Amenities & Service:
Dan: Can I just mention that you never told
me we’d actually be dining inside a convenience store. This is
key info. The bathroom looked like someone had poured gravy
all over the radiator.
What if I had decided
to bring my girlfriend
this week instead of last
time? Your negligence
could have put me in
the dog-house for days.
So selfish..
At the Restaurant:
Luke: Fair enough! In
fact, readers may be
surprised that the bathroom didn’t inf lame
my germophobia. But
Luke: Agreed. The free
it is clean -- for a gascornbread was a nice
station. There was
touch. It was moist in
soap and a Osgoodethe centre and crunchy
style power hand-dryer.
in the crust. Since I
Overall, the restaurant
was last here they also
is well-maintained and
FREE CORNBREAD
decided to add bacon
surprisingly roomy
to the fritters -- a truly
for what is essentially an urban truck stop.
inspired choice. They might be the best I’ve Where else can you sit down for a delicious
ever had: not too doughy, perfectly fried and sandwich and share a two litre of Tahiti Treat?
with just the right amount of spice. The fresh
herb sauce was also the perfect complement.
Dan: True! Also, best moment of this lunch -
Luke: I really appreciate the vibe here: a park-
Dan: I’m glad we decided to go ‘share-sies’
Dan: Hey! The west-end prides itself on
having only the hippest of hangouts, serving
the most local of beer and the most current
variety of taco.
Luke: You’ll find this ‘hood equally friendly to
bicycles and ironic detachment, I assure you.
As for the place itself, when I discovered the
Pumps, which combines cheap gas and great
BBQ, it became a regular launching point for
all of my road trips.
the obiter dicta
» continued on page 15
tuesday - october 15 - 2013